Various types of packages have been used to store sausages, e.g., Eckrich brand smoked sausages, which are available from ConAgra Foods Packaged Foods Co., Inc. Smoked sausages can have curved or straight shapes. One previously known package of smoked sausages includes two curved sausage pieces or links, which are held in a cavity between two plastic sheets attached by a continuous radiant seal (formed by heat and vacuum). A contact or peel seal (formed by heat and pressure) surrounds the radiant seal. In use, a consumer opens the top of the package to gain access to the sausages. These seals are typically continuous. Opening the package, however, can be difficult given the manner in which the plastic sheets are sealed together. Sometimes, the consumer will be able to manually open the top of the package with minimal damage to the package. Other times, however, the consumer must resort to cutting implements, such as scissors and knives, in order to break the radiant seal and open the package.
Once the package is finally opened, it may be damaged or destroyed as a result of tearing and/or cutting the package to access the sausages. Consequently, the opened package may not be suitable for further use. To the extent that the opened package can be salvaged, known sausage packages typically do not provide a closure mechanism that allows sausages to be saved in the package for later consumption. As a result, any remaining sausages are typically stored in the opened or torn bag, for example, by folding over the plastic top to close the top of the package. Extra sausages may also be stored in a separate container. These extra storage steps and containers present unnecessary inconveniences to a consumer, and the sausages may spoil if they are not properly packaged.
In addition to the inconveniences involved with opening sausage packages, the appearance of known sausage packages can also be improved. More particularly, when using known sealing techniques, purge or juices from the sausages is squeezed through various portions of the package, and are visible to consumers through the clear plastic sheets, thus providing a sausage package that is not particularly visually appealing due to the distributed purge.
Other known packages have been designed with particular sealing configurations for food items other than sausages. For example, Application Publication No. 2004/0151811 A1 describes a package for pizza. The package has a double seal that is formed by an inner or first seal and an outer or second seal. The two seals are separated by one or more gaps. The application explains that this double seal configuration provides an improved hermetic package to reduce the frequency of package failures.
A double seal is sometimes used in these types of packages to protect against the development of a channel or leak, but a single seal may be sufficient if it is applied properly. The pizza package that is described in the published application, however, is not designed for sausages and sausages having arcuate shapes. Additionally, the pizza package that is described does not address confining or collecting purge or juices from sausages within a particular area to provide a more visually appealing sausage package.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved package for sausages. The package should be easier to open than known sausage packages. The package should also not be damaged in order to access the sausages. Further, if necessary, it should be possible to utilize a closure mechanism to re-close an undamaged package to store any leftover sausages. The package should provide allow for more aesthetically pleasing presentation of sausages.